Melbourn
Melbourn | |
---|---|
Village | |
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![]() ![]() Melbourn Location within Cambridgeshire | |
Population | 4,414 [1] 4,689 (2011)[2] |
OS grid reference | TL385445 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | ROYSTON |
Postcode district | SG8 |
Dialling code | 01763 |
Police | Cambridgeshire |
Fire | Cambridgeshire |
Ambulance | East of England |
Melbourn (/ˈmɛlbɔːrn/) is a large, clustered village in the far south-west of Cambridgeshire, England. Its traditional high street is bypassed by the A10, intersecting the settlement's other main axis exactly 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the traditional focal point of Royston, Hertfordshire, the nearest larger settlement. It has over 4,400 inhabitants and is in the South Cambridgeshire district and is in the Royston, Hertfordshire post town.
The Prime Meridian passes to the west of Melbourn.
History[]
The parish has a long history of occupation, stemming from the presence of springs at and the several ancient trackways that cross the parish; the Icknield Way runs to the south of the parish and and the Roman are also believed to follow prehistoric trackways. Pottery and burial finds show evidence of Bronze Age residents, and a Roman settlement has been found at the north-east edge of the village. Excavations in the 1950s discovered 28 graves from a 7th-century Christian burial site close to Ashwell Street.[3]
Melbourn appears in five entries in Domesday Book.[4]
The name "Melbourn" comes from Meldeburn, the "stream of a man named Melde".[5]
Church[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b0/Spring_blossom_at_All_Saints%27_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1211237.jpg/220px-Spring_blossom_at_All_Saints%27_Church_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1211237.jpg)
The finding of a Saxon cemetery shows that Christianity has been present in Melbourn since the 7th century. The village also probably had an 11th-century chapel but the first record of a church is from 1152. The present church, dedicated to All Saints, is grade II* listed.[6] R.R. Rowe conducted a major restoration in 1882 but the church includes sections of the 13th-century building, including the chancel arch and sections of the tower.[6] The font is 11th century.[3]
Village life[]
It has a primary school and a state secondary school, Melbourn Village College. There is also a well-known science park. There is a butcher's, a co-op food shop, five hairdressers, a barber shop, two estate agents, two pubs, a newsagent, a sub-post office, two garages and three churches (Anglican, Baptist and URC). Melbourn has the well-known restaurant , formerly owned by the television chef .[citation needed]
The nearest station is Meldreth, in the neighbouring village, which opened in 1851 on the Cambridge line.[3]
Pubs[]
Melbourn was much visited by travellers by the 17th century and is listed as having an inn in 1622. By the late 18th century the village supported three: the Dog, of unknown history, the Red Lion, that closed towards the end of the 19th century, and the Hoops, that closed in the early 20th century. In 1865 the village had 11 inns and pubs, including the Black Horse, the Star, the White Lion, the Anchor, the Carriers Arms and the Red Cow. The Rose Inn and the Coach and Horses opened in around 1850.[3]
The oldest of the two present public houses is the Dolphin, which is listed from 1818.[3] The other pub in the village is the Black Horse.[7]
References[]
- ^ 2001 Census Archived 2011-06-09 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e A. P. M. Wright (1982). A History of the County of Cambridge and the Isle of Ely: Volume 8. Victoria County History. pp. 67–82.
- ^ http://opendomesday.org/place/TL3844/melbourn/
- ^ Walter Skeat (1901). The Placenames of Cambridgeshire.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Historic England. "Parish Church of All Saints (1127546)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 3 May 2014.
- ^ "The Black Horse, Melbourn". What Pub. Camra. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melbourn. |
- Villages in Cambridgeshire
- Civil parishes in Cambridgeshire
- South Cambridgeshire District